Computer Applications in the School Library Media Center

While I can see this technology being more useful for classroom teachers, I can see peergrade being a great tool for learning! In its essence, peergrade allows teachers to create an assignment, upload a rubric and offer students a platform to upload their work to. Students submit their work and once the submission period is closed, student work is anonymously given to other students to look over and offer feedback. As a librarian, I love this idea as a way to help students understand what peer reviewed journals actually mean versus non-peer reviewed. As a teacher, I love the idea of students being able to learn through feedback. I can see students taking this seriously and doing their best to offer their peers honest and effective feedback. Peergrade could be a great way to begin a conversation about effective feedback--what is helpful, what is hurtful, what is meaningless. I firmly believe that the collaborative programs of today will mean an increase in collaborative work in t...

I found Google keep from ALA list of Best Apps for Teaching and Learning from ALA. Since we are switching to a google school platform, anything with Google in the title catches my attention. The premise of Google keep, as an online bulletin board or filing cabinet is one I love! While it isn't wildly different than pinterest, it is a bit more organized and professional feeling. Pinterest has an aspect of social networking on it that keeps me from posting everything I want there--will people really tolerate it if I post one MORE library bulletin board idea? So I create a secret board so I can pin 50 of similar things if I want to. But Google Keep just feels more tidy. There is also the question of filters--some schools block the use of pinterest, so Google Keep is able to corner that market. For students, Google Keep is a great way for them to keep things organized as they do research or explore resources on the web. If they like a web page, they can make a note about it--...